Electrostatic discharge is a serious issue in integrated circuits (ICs). For example, integrated circuits made from semiconductor materials such as silicon (Si) and insulating materials such as SiO2 can suffer permanent damage when subjected to high voltages such as electrostatic discharged events. Also, ESD susceptibility has become an ever increasing issue as process technology allows ever smaller scaling of the integrated circuits. That is, smaller integrated circuits become even more susceptible to ESD events due to its smaller fabrication geometry.
Traditional methods of shunting ESD to protect ICs involves devices such as diodes. These diodes include, for example, zener diodes, transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes, and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or bipolar clamp diodes. However, the parasitic impedance of such protection devices can distort and deteriorate signal integrity, and also is known to exhibit high capacitance. However, high frequency circuit applications require low-capacitance ESD protection. Also, the use of diodes are known to consume large amounts of area, which are at a premium in the smaller technology nodes.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.